CL:AIRE publishes Asbestos in Soil Guidance (CAR-SOILTM)
CL:AIRE has published the Joint Industry Working Group Asbestos in Soil and Construction & Demolition (C&D) Materials guidance titled “Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012: Interpretation for Managing and Working with Asbestos in Soil and Construction & Demolition materials: Industry Guidance (shortened name CAR-SOILTM)”.
This authoritative document has been prepared with the support of the Health and Safety Executive and presents the definitive explanation of how the legal requirements of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR 2012 or the Regulations) have been interpreted to apply to work with asbestos contaminated soil and construction & demolition materials.
The guidance is underpinned by the fundamental requirements expressed in the Regulations, in relation to the protection of employees from risks related to exposure to asbestos, but is set within a carefully considered framework designed specifically for soil and C&D materials contaminated with asbestos.
In order to be more directly applicable to the risks associated from work on soil and C&D materials contaminated with asbestos, the Regulations have been interpreted in order to allow practical guidance to be produced that is fit for purpose whilst allowing compliance to be demonstrated with the overarching requirements set out in the Regulations.
Addendum: August 2016 -
Page 74: First paragraph Regulation 14 should read: “This regulation requires employers to provide employees with adequate personal protective clothing appropriate for the work they will be doing. It also sets out the requirement for proper cleaning, maintenance and storage of the clothing.”
Asbestos in Soil Training
With a hugely successful 2019 for CL:AIRE asbestos in soils training for land professionals, we are delighted to announce its 2020 classroom dates for CAR-SOIL and Non Licensed Work training (see events section of the ealert). Both courses are now also regularly being delivered on a bespoke basis at company offices across the country. If you are interested in receiving this training at your office, please make your enquiry using the Help Desk
PURPOSE of JIWG
The Asbestos in Soil and Construction & Demolition Materials – Joint Industry Working Group (Asbestos in Soil JIWG for short) was established in November 2011 after The Environmental Industries Commission (EIC) and Contaminated Land: Applications in Real Environments (CL:AIRE) formally joined forces and then invited a wide range of both private and public sector organisations that are all looking to work together to meet the challenges posed by asbestos in soil. The JIWG project will be working alongside the CIRIA research project trying to ensure that the two projects complement and link as much as possible with a co-ordinated approach.
AIMS of JIWG
The aims of the Joint Industry Working Group are:
- To bring together the asbestos management, occupational hygiene and brownfield management sectors with the aim of promoting the development of a consistent and harmonised approach to the regulation, investigation, analysis, assessment and management of asbestos in soil.
- To develop practical practitioner guidance on asbestos in soil that provides a consistent approach for UK industry, stakeholders and regulators.
- To promote the development of the relevant industry professional qualification framework for asbestos in soils for the brownfield and asbestos management sectors, building on the existing professional qualification framework for the management of asbestos in buildings, and relevant statutory requirements.
- To engage with the principal regulatory bodies for asbestos – the Health & Safety Executive, the Environment Agency and representatives of Local Authority Contaminated Land Officers - with the aim of promoting a consistent, unified and transparent regime for the regulation of all aspects relating to the remediation of land contaminated by asbestos.
- To promote and develop an improvement in public and stakeholder awareness of relevant issues, including inter alia health & safety, public health, technical, legal and insurance, related to the occurrence of and investigation and remediation of asbestos in soil.
- To promote the work of the Asbestos in Soil – Joint Industry Working Group to ensure all organisations are fully informed of its activities.
ORGANISATION
- The working group is chaired by EIC.
- It will aim to meet quarterly with additional meetings scheduled by teleconference when required.
- CL:AIRE will perform the secretariat duties for the working group.
- Membership of the working group will be by invitation to specific organisations. Such invitations being reviewed as appropriate. The current list of members is provided here:
All notes from the JIWG meetings are made publicly available and can be accessed from the index to the right.
JIWG ASBESTOS IN SOIL JOINT STATEMENT WITH HSE AND EA
The Joint Industry Working Group (JIWG), Environment Agency and Health and Safety Executive has agreed to work together to bring clarification on a number of key regulatory and guidance issues that will help underpin the development of the industry code of practice for asbestos in soil, construction and demolition materials . This work will help clarify a number of important issues relating to the application of some of the legislation as it is currently being applied to the regulation of asbestos in soil, construction and demolition materials.
JIWG ASBESTOS IN SOIL STATEMENT ON CLASSIFICATION OF WASTE CONTAMINATED BY ASBESTOS
The Environment Agency will shortly be issuing revised technical guidance on waste, "rWM2". This guidance will contain new worked examples of how to classify as "hazardous" waste soil and other waste materials such as made ground and general C&D wastes that are contaminated by asbestos fibres and asbestos-containing materials. The EA has agreed with the JIWG that there is a need to provide industry with refined, detailed and practical guidance in this area. Work to produce this guidance, therefore, will continue over the coming months, these efforts being led by the EIC-CL:AIRE JIWG on Asbestos in Soil and C&D Materials in conjunction with the EA. This work will ultimately feed into the development of the JIWG Industry Code of Practice for Asbestos in Soil.
TERMS OF REFERENCE
The JIWG Asbestos in Soil are working under agreed Terms of Reference.
INDUSTRY CODE OF PRACTICE – PRACTITIONERS’ GUIDE
The final scope of the document is still to be finalised by the JIWG however the main headings are anticipated to include the following:
- Introduction and Background;
- Regulation of Asbestos;
- UKAS and Accreditation Requirements;
- Training and Qualification Requirements;
- Insurance Requirements;
- Site Investigation and Sampling protocols;
- Laboratory analysis;
- Human Health Risk Assessment;
- Remediation of Asbestos-Contaminated Soils and Ground Materials; and
- Waste management.
Chapters will be written by selected groups of recognised experts from these fields, with an open consultation process when the document is in final draft format.
PROGRAMME
The JIWG are working very closely with the regulators and as such are aware that the HSE are reviewing all asbestos related HSE publications. The JIWG is aiming to publish the Asbestos in Soil Code of Practice as soon as possible however this is very dependent on the participation and co-operation of the regulators.
Decision Support Tool for the Categorisation of Work Activities Involving Asbestos in Soil and Construction & Demolition Materials in accordance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 : v2.1 March 2017
This spreadsheet tool provides the user with a decision support platform designed by the Joint Industry Working Group to assist in the categorisation of work with asbestos under CAR2012, and supports the JIWG Industry Guidance on the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 - Interpretation for Managing and Working with Asbestos in Soil and Construction & Demolition Materials (2016) - CAR-SOILTM. The spreadsheet should be used in conjunction with the guidance in this publication.
Please note: This file is in xlsm format (xls with macros) and has been compressed as a zip file. Please unzip before use. The file works with Excel 2010 onwards for PC.
- version 2.1
The JIWG Work Category DST has been republished as version 2.1 following rectification of a minor coding error affecting only the Stage 2 exposure selection of “Sampling, manual or mechanical (significant deterioration expected)".
Decision Support Tool for the Qualitative Risk Ranking of Work Activities and Receptors Involved in or Exposed to Asbestos in Soil and Construction & Demolition Materials : v2.1 March 2017
This spreadsheet tool provides the user with a decision support platform designed by the Joint Industry Working Group to assist in the risk-rank activities and receptors as part of a preliminary risk assessment under CLR11.
The aim of developing this tool is to provide industry with a consistent decision making format that is aligned with UK health & safety and environmental regulatory policies, and is consistent with the wider objectives of the JIWG.
Please note: This file is in xlsm format (xls with macros) and has been compressed as a zip file. Please unzip before use. The file works with Excel 2010 onwards for PC.
AGS GUIDANCE - ASSESSMENT AND CONTROL OF ASBESTOS RISK IN SOIL
Part 1: Protection of Personnel Working in Ground Investigations - Published May 2021 v1-1
This provides information on the assessment and control of asbestos in soil for the protection of personnel working on ground investigations.
Download here
Part 2: Protection of Personnel Working in Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Laboratories - Published May 2021 v1
This provides information for the protection of personnel working in laboratories associated with testing samples obtained from those investigations.
Download here